Young driver in helicopter shooting case arrested

Updated 11:54 am, Tuesday, December 11, 2012

BROWNSVILLE - Authorities have arrested the 14-year-old suspected driver in a chase that ended when state police fired at his truck from a helicopter, killing two stowaway Guatemalan immigrants.

A warrant was out for the juvenile, a Mexican citizen, since he was mistakenly released from custody in the aftermath of the Oct. 25 shooting. Authorities initially speculated he had fled the country after being released to his grandmother.

McAllen police pulled him over Friday in a truck that turned up stolen.

Seven other Guatemalans were detained after the 14-mile chase that ended on a gravel road north of La Joya, in Hidalgo County. Border Patrol agents arrested the juvenile later that day.

Juvenile court authorities did not identify the suspect because of his age, but they did confirm that he appeared Monday morning before Juvenile Court Judge Jesse Contreras on a charge of theft by appropriation and that he was the same person wanted in the chase that led to the helicopter shooting.

He was to remain in juvenile court custody pending a detention hearing.

The case drew outrage from civil rights groups that questioned a Texas Department of Public Safety policy allowing troopers to shoot at vehicles from helicopters. The Guatemalan government responded with a heated statement and demanded a thorough investigation.

Driving at 80 mph

Texas Parks and Wildlife game wardens initiated the pursuit and called for assistance after the driver refused to stop, traveling at speeds of around 80 mph.

Miguel Avila, the officer in the helicopter, believed he was disabling a pickup truck that was full of drugs and was approaching a school zone. Records show Avila is a veteran, with more than 10 years on the force, who has completed training in aircraft operations and tactical firearms.